Cons:

If you're one of those bleeding-hearts who plays all RPGs like paragons of virtue that never steal from others and avoid killing, then Risen 2: Dark Waters is definitely not your cup of rum. In this pirate-themed RPG it's wise not to leave any pocket unpicked or any treasure unplundered. As long as you know that from the start, and wholeheartedly accept the idea that there is virtually no long-term negative consequence to killing villagers or robbing a town blind, then you may have a lot of fun on this epic, if sometimes bumpy voyage.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Having killed the Fire Titan in the first Risen, you (playing as the Nameless Hero) are now a member of the Inquisition, the saber-rattling military arm of the Old Empire. But when a pirate ship is sunk by a Kraken off the coast of the Inquisition stronghold of Caldera, you're ordered to go deep undercover as a pirate to reclaim a mystical weapon held by a pirate captain that can kill the creature before it wipes out the rest of the Empire. It's a good setup for an entertaining pirate adventure that puts the Nameless Hero on a decidedly different path than the one he strode in the first game.

Welcome to Caldera. Mind the lava.

If you read my in-progress review of Risen 2, then you'll know that its approach to roleplaying isn't quite as open-ended as the Mass Effect or Elder Scrolls franchises. My first mistake was, once I received my orders to become a pirate, in not fully embracing the underhanded cutthroat nature of being a pirate immediately. Glory points, which are used to upgrade base attributes in blades, firearms, toughness, cunning, and Voodoo, are awarded for defeating or killing enemies, monsters, and animals, as well as completing quests, so attempting to play as a pacifist won't do you any favors.

Since you're a pirate most people think the worst of you already, so there isn't a reputation system to worry about, nor is there a downside to being greedy or bloodthirsty.

In fact, the economy is so lopsided in the early areas -- treasure chests may give out a measly 10 gold pieces, but learning new skills from a trainer cost 500 to 1,000 gold pieces -- that you'll have a rougher time of it if you don't increase your Cunning attribute quickly so you can learn the Sneaking and Lockpicking skills. Guards and tradesmen are quick to attack unauthorized visitors, but once you know how to sneak (walking softly and slowly) you're practically invisible unless you walk into their line of sight. And don't worry if they catch you -- run away for a bit and they'll forget they ever saw you. Or, if you're good enough, stand your ground and defeat them. They may be offended by your actions briefly, but will quickly forget ever being attacked and robbed.

Since you're a pirate most people think the worst of you already, so there isn't a reputation system to worry about, nor is there a downside to being greedy or bloodthirsty. For example, if you're given an option to use your Thievery skills to pickpocket a townsperson while in conversation, there's no chance it'll backfire. If your skill isn't high enough, a message will appear that you can't do it, and… that's it. The victim won't catch you in the act, report you to the guards, or even act haughty about it. Encumbrance and inventory limits are non-existent as well, so you can carry your entire stash around with you at all times. That's good news if you hate managing inventory items, but it takes away from the challenge and realism of being a pirate if you can snatch up every low-level saber and animal tooth you come across. By the end, your inventory will probably be overflowing with crap you don't need, but kept anyway because you might've needed it to make a magic potion or amulet or something.

On the High Seas

Disappointing, or at the very least odd, design decisions like this don't destroy what is otherwise an engaging and fun story that will take you on an epic journey through multiple islands inhabited by tribes of voodoo-practicing natives, hilariously profane thieving gnomes, rum-swilling pirates, and ghosts of the underworld. Risen 2's updated graphics engine is absolutely beautiful in rendering the world's environments, especially its sun-swept beaches and jungle habitats. Character models fall well short of Skyrim quality, looking and moving more like the animatronic mannequins in The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but there's no denying the lusciousness of their surroundings.

Your robotic dance is no match for my steel.

Once you're past the limitations of the early stages and command your own ship, you'll have more freedom to travel at will and tackle quests as you see fit. That's not to say you'll have total freedom, though. Under the voodoo skillset, for example, is the ability to create voodoo dolls of people so you can inhabit their bodies, but it's an option that's available to be utilized only on a handful of characters. In fact, it's possible to waste your gold training in specialized skills that you may only use a few times, or not at all. The Monkey Trainer ability, for example, is one of the coolest: once purchased and activated, you can personally guide a trained monkey who will loot chests and sneak into places inaccessible to humans. But with precious few places that actually require a monkey to access them, your gold might be better spent on your swashbuckling abilities.

The recently released first patch adds a dodge maneuver which can help you get out of a tight spot, but combat still feels like a work in progress.

That said, you can generally mix up your use of voodoo, sneaking, and armed assault to fulfill your goals. Combat, however, tends to be hit and miss (pun intended). During fights, each click of the left mouse button to swing your sword or fire your gun will stack up, so you have to control the urge to button mash or you won't be able to successfully parry or counter incoming attacks. Some enemies can cheaply crowd you and attack multiple times in quick succession before you can get a stab in. The recently released first patch adds a dodge maneuver which can help you get out of a tight spot, but combat still feels like a work in progress. (It should also be noted that the patch fixes some performance bugs, especially a slowdown issue with SLI graphics cards that gave me considerable problems early on. If you still have issues on your Nvidia-based graphics card, I suggest upgrading to the latest beta driver.)

If it sounds like I have a love/hate relationship with Risen 2, then guilty as charged. This is one of those games that's brimming with quirks, ranging from the minor (killed turkeys give you chicken meat) to momentously glitchy (complete a couple missions in the "wrong" order late in the game and an overarching quest breaks). And for all the artifact-gathering and hand-wringing over Risen 2's "big bad," the final fight is anti-climactic and relatively easy. But... for all its problems, I still recommend this game to RPG fans who are forgiving angels in real life, but unforgiving scurvy dogs in-game.

Spy Guy says: So I can't play as the pirate with the heart of gold, eh? Ah well, I always like to play through RPGs as the jerk anyway, so this works out just fine for me. What about you? Do you lean toward to good or evil side in your roleplaying?